Aim:-

To prepare a temporary mount of onion root tip to study mitosis.

REQUIRMENT:-
Onion bulbs, corked via/tube, conical flasks/glass bottles, scissors, Petri dishes, forceps, needle,
acetic acid, methyl alcohol, hydrochloric acid, acetocarmine, distilled water, spirit lamp,
microscope, slides, coverslip, blotting paper, etc.

PROCEDURE:-
1.    Take a medium sized bulb of onion and trim off the old roots from its base by means of
sharp blade. 

2.    Place the onion on a conical flask/glass bottle full of water, with its base touching the water.

3.    Keep it for a week to grow the roots.

4.    Cut 5 mm off the tips of roots and put them into a vial containing a mixture of 1 : 3 acetic acid
and methanol. deep for one hour. This process is called "fixation".

5.    Remove 2 or 3 root tips and hydrolyses them by warming to 60' C in 1 N HCl acid for 15
minutes.

6.    Remove the root tips and wash them thoroughly in water.

7.    Transfer a drop of acetocarmine on slide. Put one hydrolyses rood tip in a drop and place a
coverslip on the root.

8.     Gently squash the root by tapping the coverslip with the blunt end of a pencils or needle
until the cells separate and spread out into a very thin layer.

9.    Gently warm the glass slide over a flame for some time.

10.    Observe first under the microscope to locate the dividing cells.

11.    Examine the different stages of mitosis under the microscope. 

OBSERVATIONS:-
Under low power of microscope, rectangular cells with pink nucleus are seen scattered. 
Under high power of microscope following stages become distinct:

1.    Interphase:     
This stage is identified by:

a)     It is the non-dividing phase/stage of the cycle.

b)     Nuclear covered and nucleolus are distinct.

c)     Chromatin fibers appear in the form of network within the nucleus.

2.    Prophase:
a)     Last stage of the prophase when the nucleolus and nuclear membrane disappear. The
cellular contents condense into a spindle.

b)     Chromatin material shortens and condenses into thread like structures called
Chromosomes.

c)     Each chromosome consists of two chromatids which are jointed at point called centromere.

d)     The centriole divides and shifts to the opposite poles along with astral rays.
3.    Metaphase:
a)    A bipolar, spindle develops in the cell.

b)     Chromosomes become thick and two chromatids of each chromosomes become clear.

c)     Chromosomes become arranged at the equator of the spindle.

d)     Each chromosome gets attached to the spindle fibers at its centromere.

4.    Anaphase:
a)    The two sister chromatids of each chromosome separate from th